Two Gentlemen Of Verona

For the first half of the first act I really hated the concept of this production. We started in the mooing countryside and traveled to a very decadent and frivolous Milan. I think the gaudiness and characterization of the Milan sequences really detracted and made it hard to buy into the sudden fraternal caring of the Duke of Milan, bravely played by Tom Hammond. But somehow by the end I was able to take the production at face value. Normally I think the play works best with actors that are very young otherwise their treatment of each other becomes unpleasant. Here however the director Matt August has the characters pay for their ungenerous behavior even allowing Julia to slap Proteus for his abandonment and betrayal. Good for her. Rep demand you use the actors you have to fill up the roles. Sometimes this practice can lead to miscasting. In the early scenes I detested the Proteaus of Corey Sorenson and the Julia of Joy Farmer-Clary. If there was one more scene of them acting like hyperactive idiots I might have screamed but later on when they were permitted to act closer to their real selves their performances were textured and at times quite moving. One mention of John McMurtry’s Launce; it is easy to see why he is an associate artist at the Globe and has become something of a treasure, loved by all the audiences It was a great pleasure to see him perform.

LOWELL DAVIE’S FESTIVAL THEATRE. Balboa Park San Diego  619-238-0043 through Sept 30